OnLive to land in the UK in time for the Eurogamer Expo 2011

Back at the beginning of June we told you that the OnLive gaming service will eventually be launching over in the UK. The service has been enjoyed by gamers in the US for a while, and now we have news that OnLive is to land in the UK in time for the Eurogamer Expo 2011.

The service was first launched in the US last summer and according to Guardian.co.uk residents in the UK can get the service from September 22nd. OnLive lets users play games via a broadband connection without having to download the entire game. Action is streamed to a PC, tablet, or the TV from the internet just like you would when watching content from YouTube.

There is set to be over 100 top titles available when the service first launches, but as of yet specific titles have not been revealed. The company is currently licensing titles that are available in the US such as Assassin’s Creed, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Homefront amongst others.

Interested gamers can sign up for free at the official OnLive website, and then can rent games for set periods or pay for unlimited access to certain titles. There is also the option of paying a monthly fee for access to the OnLive PlayPack Bundle. This allows for users to access most of the OnLive catalogue, but as of yet UK pricing hasn’t been revealed.

In the US gamers pay $5.99 for a three day pass for most titles or a five day pass is $8.99. You can also buy the game outright for anywhere from $20 to $60, and access to the PlayPack Bundle costs $9.99 per month. Various platforms are supported including Android tablets, iPad, PC and Mac, and there is also a set top box game system and controller so users can play via their HDTV.

In the US the system costs $99, and a separate wireless controller can be purchased for use with tablets, PCs and Macs for $50. For users in the US OnLive recommend that users have a broadband connection with at least 2Mbps, which is well below the UKs average broadband speed. A good feature of the service is that users can access free demos for every title in its catalogue.

The service will be launched at the Eurogamer Expo 2011 on September 22nd, and the company will hand out thousands of its Game Systems free. Do you like the look of the OnLive service? Will you be signing up for it?

I’ve heard many things about OnLive and I really see this as the future for those not willing or able to pay for the gaming infrastructure for home play. As we’re seeing more and more content streamed surely gaming was a natural next step.
No doubt with the different platforms embedded deeply into gaming culture I feel OnLive will make incremental changes in 2011, baby steps and recognition in 2012 to a more notable presence in 2013 and beyond.